Sheaf-carrier for self-binding harvesters



(No Model.)

J. F. STEWARD. SHEA CARRIER FOR SELF BINDING HARVESTE-RS.

No. 490,591. Patented Jan. 24, 1-893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. STEWARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SH EAF-CARRIER FOR SELF-BIN DING 'HARVE STERS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 490,591, dated January24, 1893.

Application filed March 2%, 1886. $erial No. 196.409. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. STEWARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago,

in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Sheaf-0arriers for Grain Harvesting andBinding Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part hereof.

The aim of my invention is to provide a light and simple attachment forreceiving the sheaves as they fall successively from the binder anddumping them at intervals, a number at one point.

My invention consists in jointing a series of rods to a supporting barby means of joints placed diagonally across said bar, or the equivalentthereof; the said bar or equivalent being substantially horizontal;whereby the tendency of the weight of the load is to swing the fingersin the direction of the discharge when set free.

It also consists in the combination of these fingers with connectingdevices, and other minor parts as hereinafter more fully explained.

I am aware that independent or disconnected sheaf-receiving fingers havebeen pivoted to swing rearward with an upward action in order to passobstructions; and I am aware that horizontal parallel rock -shafts havebeen provided with sheaf-receiving fingers extending obliquely therefromso that they could be rotated in vertical planes from an upturnedposition, to a position in which they extend downward and rearward, thearrangement being such, however, that they did not close together, andthat their ends could not swing laterally with respect to the line oftravel to and from the harvester.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure l is a perspective view of a portionof a harvesting and binding machine with my carrier applied thereto inits most approved form. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a front elevationand an elevation from the stubble side showing my carrier in modifiedform.

Various parts are broken away in the several figures, and othercustomary parts foreign to the invention omitted in order that theessential features may the more clearly appear.

Referring to the drawings,A represents the binder-deck or table of anordinary Appleby-binder located in an inclined position at the outer endofa harvesting machine. The sheaves are bound upon this table anddelivered from its lower outer edge.

As the table and the binder may be con structed and adapted to operatein every particular in the customary manner it is deemed unnecessary todescribe them more in detail.

In the form shown in Fig. 1 B is a support for my sheaf-carrying fingersconsisting essentially of a bar or timber suitably secured to theharvester-frame in a fore and aft direction below the outer or deliveryedge of the bind ing table. The support is formed of two flat bars I)and b united as one, with grooves 19 cut into their contiguous surfaces.These grooves viewed from the front of the machine are in substantiallyvertical position, but viewed from the stubble side they have a forwardinclination toward their lower ends, the lower ends being about twoinches farther for ward than the upper ends. The grooves aresubstantially parallel and serve as journal bearings for the wrists orjournals on theinner ends of the sheaf-carrying fingers C. These fingersare formed preferably of half inch round spring steel, and are adaptedto reach" outward from beyond the table a suitable dis-" tance toreceive and retain the sheaves. They e are somewhat higher at the outerthan the in ner ends in order that the sheaves maynot" roll from them atimproper times. At the inner or supported end each finger is bent upwardto form a journal or pivot which is passed through one of the grooves bthe upper end forward it acts through the chain and crankarms to holdthe teeth in a laterally-extended ICO or receiving position, as shown inFig. l. The

' parts stand in such relation that when the lever is thrown fullyforward the stress of the chain will be so nearly in line with the axisof the lever as to produce a locking of the parts. Owing to theinclination of the journals'or axes of the fingers from theperpendicular they tend by reason of their weight, and of the weight ofthe grain upon them, to gravitate to the rear when released; owing tothis inclination the release of the lever and chain is followed by aswinging motion of the fingers rearward and downward around theirindividual axes, each finger sweeping through an inclined or obliquepath, its outer end falling, and moving to the rear, and also swinginglaterally toward the machine, and toward the tooth next in rear thereof,so that the entire series of teeth fold compactly together at the sideof the machine.

In the modified form of the device shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the toothedsupport B is located at a considerable distance beyond the binder-frame,being sustained therefrom by suitable outreaching bars Z) I). It is alsosustained in part by a rod or brace, F, extended to the top of the usualelevator-frame of the harvester as shown. The carrying fingers areessentially the same as in the first form of apparatus but stand in areversed position, that is to say, with their journals at the outerinstead of at their inner ends. Their journals are inclined forwardtoward their upper ends and mounted in the support in the same manner asthe journals in Fig.1, and they are provided with crank-arms andconnected through a chain with each other and with the operating leveron the machine in like manner. Their ends project inward beneath thebinder table in suitable position to receive the falling sheaves. \Vhenreleased they swing rearward downward and outward from the machinearound their individual axes and in oblique paths. They swing laterallytoward each other and close together in the same manner as the teeth ofFig. 1. In this form of the carrier the sustaining-bar B, and the axisof the fingers incline upward toward the harvester, but this inclinationis immaterial since the fore and aft inclination is such as to allow thefalling of the ends of the fingers as they swing to the rear.

It is to be observed that in each form of my apparatus the teeth areadapted to close together with a lateral swinging movement, that is tosay, with a movement around substantially upright axes so that theirends sweep rearward in lines transverse to the path of the machine.

The form of carrier shown in Fig. 1 is deemed preferable because theteeth by their falling action reduce the width of the machine so thatthey may readily pass obstructions, trail sidewise from under thebundles, and permit the machine to pass through narrow openings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is,

1. In combination with a self-binding har vester and secured to theframe thereof, a finger-supporting bar substantially parallel with theline of advance of the machine, having holes which form journal bearingsbored therethreugh, said holes leaning so as to be farther rearward atthe upper edge of the bar than at the lower edge, sheaf-supportingfingers placed parallel with each other and thus forming asheaf-receiver and having axes formed by bending the said rods so as topass through said diagonal bearings bored through the supporting bar,substantially as described, by which arrangement of axes the weight ofthe load of sheaves is made to be instrumental in turning the fingers ontheir axes and force an initial movement as well as continue themovement from under the load.

2. In a sheaf-carrier, a supporting bar sustained from the harvestingmachine and substantially parallel with the line of advance of the saidmachine, and having bearings for the sheaf-supporting fingers formed inthe said bar, diagonal thereacross, so that the lower end of saidbearing is farther forward than the upper end, a series of fingerspivoted therein and sustained in position or released by suitablemechanism, at will, substantially as described, by means of whichrearwardly leaning axes the weight of the sheaves is instrumental inforcing the said fingers to have an initial movement on their axes inthe direction of discharge.

3. In a sheaf-carrier of the kind in whic the fingers of a series aresecured to a supporting bar that is sustained from the main frame of themachine substantially parallel with the line of advance of the saidmachine and a series of fingers adapted to be supported with their freeends projecting sub-' stantially transverse to the line of advance ofthe machine to receive the load and then move rearward and downward to aposition near the side of the machine and thus swing and draw frombeneath the load, a finger-supporting bar having journal bearingsparallel with each other but leaning so asto be farther to the rear attheir upper ends than at their lower ends, the finger-axes extendingthrough said bearings, substantially as described, by which rearwardlyleaning arrangement of the said axes the weight of the load ofaccumulated sheaves becomes the means for giving the sheaf-receivingfingers their initial swinging movement in the direction of discharge byforcing them to turn on their axes.

4. In a sheaf-carrier of the kind having a series of fingers projectingtransverse to the line of advance of the machine and there sustainedwhile receiving the load, and which fingers, in dumping, are permittedto move to the rear and draw from beneath the load, a finger-supportingbar having journal bearings adapted to receive the axes of the sheaf-re-ITO ceiving fingers and sustain the latter so that at their upper endsthey shall lean so as to be farther to the rear than at their lowerends, by which leaning arrangement of the axes the weight of the load ofsheaves is made instrumental in giving the fingers their initialmovement in the direction of the discharge, substantially as described.

5. In a sheaf-carrier of the kind in which sheaf-supporting fingersproject transversely to the line of advance of the machine to receivethe sheaves, a series of fingers journaled to a supporting bar upon axesthat are farther to the rear at their upper ends than at their lowerends, whereby the weight of the load of sheaves becomes an impellingmeans for causing the initial movement of the sheafreceiving fingers topass them from their receiving position to their discharging position,in combination with a lever under the control of the driver and suitableconnecting mechanism whereby the lever resists the tendency of theweight of the bundles to move the fingers in the direction of discharge,until set free by the attendant, substantially as described.

6. In a sheaf-carrier, a supporting bar sustained from the harvestingmachine to which the said carrier is attached, said bar substantiallyparallel with the line of advance of the machine, said support havingjournal bearings adapted to sustain the axes of sheaf-receiving fingersin such a manner that the said axes shall lean rearwardly,sheaf-supporting fingers formed of rods having axes bent in them, saidaxes extending downwardly and forwardly through the said journalbearings, and the rods extending thence outwardly in a substantiallyhorizontal direction and curved upwardly at their outer ends to preventthe sheaves from rolling off when the said fingers are in the receivingposition, by which diagonal arrangement of the axes the weight of theload becomes the means for giving the said fingers their initialmovement as well as final movement in the direction of discharge,combined with means under the control of the attendant for returning thefingers to the receiving position and holding them there until hedesires the load to fall, substantially as described.

JOHN F. STEWARD.

WVitnesses:

J AS. GILCHREST, JOHN B. KASPARI.

